Studies in Genesis, Total Surrender, Part II, Lesson XLIX, Genesis 22:9-19

 

As we study the life of Abraham it is good to remember that this man, one of the men most memorable in the world was never a man of power, reputation, position, never a general or a statesman, or a world leader. 

 

Abraham was simply a sojourner, a Sheppard, a man of the land. 

 

But Abraham’s distinguishing mark, that which makes him that special historical character is the mark that God attaches to him, the mark of faith. 

 

This and this alone is what separates Abraham among men. If you have ambition, if you desire success, remember that faith is what pleases your maker!

 

Genesis 22:9-19, ⁹ And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. ¹⁰ And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. ¹¹ And the angel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I.

¹² And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me. ¹³ And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son. ¹⁴ And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: (God will provide) as it is said to this day, In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen. ¹⁵ And the angel of the Lord called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, ¹⁶ And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the Lord, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: ¹⁷ That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; ¹⁸ And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice. ¹⁹ So Abraham returned unto his young men, and they rose up and went together to Beersheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beersheba.

 

Another lesson of this chapter 22 passage is that faith in God requires determined obedience to the difficult commands of God.

 

Abraham knew from God’s own words that Isaac was necessary to the fulfillment of God’s promises to him. 

 

God had said that through Isaac He would bless Abraham’s descendants. 

 

Based upon God’s promises Isaac’s death normally would bring to a halt God’s march to a deliverer of men, a Savior promised to bruise the serpent’s head. 

 

And in that loss God’s promises would fail!

 

So, Abraham, the man of faith hears God’s command to sacrifice this son of promise, this command from his God who loved him, but within this passage we are not given Abraham’s thoughts. 

 

But from the New Testament we are given Abraham’s thinking, a thinking resulting from his trust in God, a trust that God’s promises never fail even if the son of promise is put to death through sacrifice.

 

For in Hebrews 11:17-19 we listen to Abraham’s response to a command of God that all of us would think as outrageous:

 

By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, ¹⁸ Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called: ¹⁹ Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.

 

In this lesson we find by the obedience of Abraham that if God is going a way which we know not of we must believe that he knows best regardless of how illogical we may think that way is.

 

For He knows best even if the direction he tells us to go seems so far out of line from his promises that it is easy to think him wrong.

 

But faith is believing God despite our reason or logic.

 

It is believing God despite the reasoning or logic of scientists or philosophers or mighty men, or rich men who deny God, accepting only what they can see, touch, taste, smell or hear.

 

For these are simply governed by their senses, not by the Spirit of God.  

 

It is the firm conviction that they, without faith are blind to the things of God and cannot know what you, by faith are given to know.

 

There can be no dialog between those who see and those who do not and wish not to see.

 

Just think of the contradictions that Abraham faced when he was told to take Isaac to the mountain and offer him up to God. 

 

For God commands this man of faith who had left all he’d known in Ur of the Chaldees, in obedience to God, to take up his knife and use it to kill and burn upon the altar that which he had so grown to love and through whom God had promised to bring forth many nations.

 

God is telling us here the same thing that Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten son told us in:

 

Luke 14:26, If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.

 

God in his command to sacrifice Isaac, and Jesus in his command to his disciples is teaching dependency, for God expects men and women of faith to let go of their dependency upon people and things of this earth and take hold of a total dependency upon God and his son Jesus Christ.

 

This is to be the heart of the man of faith.

 

Independence of God is at the core of sin, but dependence on Him is at the core of faith and discipleship. 

 

You cannot be a man or woman of faith in God and a disciple of Christ without depending upon Him over all other dependencies.

 

Abraham, our Father of Faith was willing to give up his son Isaac and in this act of giving up he shows us that we are to give God the absolute first place in our heart even if it means giving up the greatest things that we so love and cherish. 

 

So, without hesitation Abraham arose early in the morning that he might obey God and in the obeying of God certain preparations were needed.

 

And as we are told in verse 3 he saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him.

 

It is interesting how often the Bible speaks of rising early to meet God.

 

We read of this instance in Psalm 5:3, My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.

 

And another in Proverbs 8:17, I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me.

 

And in Psalm 143:8, Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee.

 

Abraham, our Father of Faith was not one to dawdle in the carrying out of God’s command for as we read in verse 5 he saw this occasion as a time of worship.

 

For as he came to the mountain of sacrifice he said to the young men:

 

Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you.

 

Abraham saw this as a time to focus on his great, majestic and worthy God expecting in this time of worship to see God’s great power in action for as we read in Hebrews 11 Accounting that God was able to raise him (Isaac) up.

 

All men of faith, following in the footsteps of their Father of Faith will not hesitate to obey the difficult commands of God for they know that no effort is too great to make for Him. 

 

Men of faith do not lose sight of God’s greatness and with God all things are possible.

 

It is amazing how often the Psalmists speak of the calamity of Israel and how hard it is for them to imagine its deliverance.

 

But then the Psalmists speak of the power, strength and majesty of God reminding themselves that the arm of the Lord is not shortened that it cannot save.

 

And this is to be our focus, not our circumstances but the God of our circumstances and this is what drove Abraham to set his face like a flint in obedience to God’s word.

 

So, worship is at the heart of unwavering obedience. 

 

Looking unto, not your own strength, not your own talents or abilities, but looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.

 

It is so apparent that Abraham had complete confidence in God for think upon his command to the young men to abide with the ass while he and Isaac went yonder to worship and then speaking these words, I and the lad will….. come again to you.

 

Great faith is speaking here for he was fixed on obeying God but he also planned to come back with Isaac.

 

For when Isaac asked of where the lamb of sacrifice was, Abraham, with knife in hand, and with a faith without hesitation said as recorded in verse 8:   

 

My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering:

 

Abraham believed in a God who could never be unfaithful to His word.

 

He knew God had repeatedly given His word that Isaac was the son of promise, so even if the knife was thrust into Isaac’s heart, which he was fully prepared to do, God would raise Isaac from the dead.

 

Children of Abraham, listen and learn from your father! 

 

Unwavering obedience to the difficult commands of God always originate from an assured faith.

 

Faith is the victory indeed!

 

The verse that comes to mind is:

 

Philippians 4:13, I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

 

Why can you do all things? 

 

Because by faith you know that God cares for you more than any earthly father ever could, and you can give Him everything in your life.  

 

This God who wants you to know you can do all things He asks of you wants to bring each one of us to the place where we surrender all to Him, trusting Him totally with all that is dear to us.

 

Abraham was commanded to give back to God the very son God gave him. 

 

This is the pattern laid out for us as parents is it not? 

 

God gives to us for a time, sons of promise, but He expects them to be raised in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

 

Beware fathers, of halfway giving your children to God for that is the way of Lot who chose the well-watered plain of Sodom, a choice without consideration of his children.

 

Lot chose to give of himself a small bit of his life, holding back most for himself that his ends would be realized but his approach to life brought tragedy and death to his family.

 

Here is Jesus Christ speaking to his disciples in Matthew 16:24,25, …… If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. ²⁵ For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.

 

How much clearer can this teaching be as many of us continue to plan, plan, plan and lay out to our own liking the many years of our life to come?

 

As I have taught before there is a lot more to the prayer Jesus taught to his disciples regarding Give us this day our daily bread. 

 

Jesus is the bread of life and He is teaching here much more than about a loaf of bread. 

 

But we are to be filled daily with Jesus Christ the Bread of Life, and the Word of God and to daily surrender all to Him.

 

The question of every morning as we arise would be: Lord, What would you have me do for you today?

 

Abraham knew what he was to do for God that day for he surrendered all to Him and we learn from this surrender that God loves to bless His children who obey His word

 

For as soon as Abraham revealed the intent of his heart, and: